Ken Schwaber and Kane Mar argue that Scrum can be combined with XP engineering practices to generate a significant impact on the productivity of a project team. This article details a project in which this theory was put to work successfully.

From the author of

From the author of

Introduction

Scrum and extreme programming (XP) are both Agile methodologies. We've
heard controversy regarding the value of each, with people familiar with each
tending to disparage the other. Yet we found these methodologies to be
complementary in a recent project at a large energy company where we got to
implement them jointly.

Scrum

Scrum is a product development methodology consisting of practices and
rules to be used by management, customers, and project management to maximize
the productivity and value of a development effort. Scrum takes the
responsibility for development projects out of engineering and IT and puts them
squarely back in the business. With Scrum, businesses own and manage projects
rather than "tossing them over the wall" to IT and hoping for the
best. Scrum reintroduces accountability for IT projects to the business,
requiring the business to maximize the ROI, without excuses. A business uses
Scrum to run development projects in a businesslike manner, paying particular
attention to realizing the value of the investments as soon as possible.

Scrum doesn't have any engineering practices, wrapping and using those
at the organization where it is implemented. When these engineering practices
are weak, overall productivity is lessened.

XP

Extreme programming (XP) is an engineering methodology consisting of
practices that ensure top-quality, focused code. XP begins with four values:

Communication

Feedback

Simplicity

Courage

It then builds up to a dozen practices, weaving them into a synergistic whole
in which each one is reinforced by the others and is required for the whole to
work. These values and their underlying practices and techniques are not
divisible and individually selectable; they form a coherent, whole process.
Teams that use XP practices are adhering to strong engineering disciplines. Like
guilds, the teams that follow these practices generate good products.

XP doesn't have any management practices. XP tells management where it
needs them, but offers few insights into maximizing value.